Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Fantasy Golf: The Northern Trust Preview

The Northern Trust Favorites

The last California stop of 2015.(As if the FGR wasn't getting enough hits from Germany).

1. Bubba Watson - 11/12. Dustin Johnson - 12/13. Jordan Spieth - 12/14. Jimmy Walker - 16/15. Brandt Snedeker - 25/16. Hideki Matsuyama - 25/17. Sergio Garcia - 25/18. Jim Furyk - 28/19. Bill Haas - 28/110. Harris English - 30/1
The FGR Northern Trust Picks
1. Bubba Watson2. Jimmy Walker3. Dustin Johnson4. Charl Schwartzel5. Nick Watney
The One and Done Pick: Jimmy Walker
The Sleeper Pick: Alex Prugh
We were delivered a sign of hope in the form of Dustin Johnson's T4th at Pebble Beach along with the fact that we decided to gamble on Brandt Snedeker's seemingly improved health and stellar west coast record to put him in our top five. It's probably no coincidence that this promising week of prognosticating occurred alongside my decision to rekindle the season long fantasy golf league that I co-founded back in 1997. I had initially decided to abandon it for reasons I could never really articulate beyond "I'm not feelin' it this year." Suffice it to say, my tune changed pretty quickly after watching the first five tournaments of 2015 with nothing on the line but a string of one and done picks who seemed destined to flirt with mediocrity every week. It was like going to the track without betting and seriously, what's the point of that?
So now we have the renewed focus of a draft this Thursday night and to celebrate that, we're taking the plastic off the couch and putting Jimmy Walker in the line-up. My season needs a kick in the ass and it's time to stop saving the "A" listers for a special occasion. Not to mention, the talent pool is so freakin' deep right now, it's not as if we're going to hit the Tour Championship with the needle on empty. The European Ryder Cup team alone can cover the majors, the WGC events and the Players which leaves a slew of elite Americans like Walker, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar and Jim Furyk to start on their favorite regular tour stop courses. If you're thinking to yourself, "this clown has a new strategy every week," you're right but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results so we're going to keep tinkering with this formula until we get it right dammit. And besides, the real definition of insanity is trying to write with your kids home from school while a hair dryer pointed at the frozen pipe in your dishwasher whines and hums and screams and WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TURN THAT F*CKING THING OFF!!!! (I'm ok). Last Week's Report Card: A-

"Nurse . . . Bring me that stethoscope!
This season may actually have a pulse!"